430 THE UNFINISHED BOOK. [1856. 



(again from Lyell's urgent advice), I published a preliminary 

 sketch of the Coral Theory, and this did neither good nor 

 harm. I begin most heartily to wish that Lyell had never put 

 this idea of an Essay into my head. 



From a letter to Sir C. Lyell \^/uly, 1856]. 



" I am delighted that I may say (with absolute truth) that 

 my essay is published at your suggestion, but I hope it will 

 not need so much apology as I at first thought ; for I have 

 resolved to make it nearly as complete as my present materials 

 allow. I cannot put in all which you suggest, for it would 

 appear too conceited." 



Fro7?i a letter to W. D. Fox. 



Down, June 14111 [1856]. 



". . . What you say about my Essay, I dare say is very 

 true ; and it gave me another fit of the wibber-gibbers : I 

 hope that I shall succeed in making it modest. One great 

 motive is to get information on the many points on which I 

 want it. But I tremble about it, which I should not do, if I 

 allowed some three or four more years to elapse before pub- 

 lishing anything. ..." 



[The following extracts from letters to Mr. Fox are worth 

 giving, as showing how great was the accumulation of mate- 

 rial which now had to be dealt with. 



June 14th [1856]. 



*' Very many thanks for the capital information on cats ; I 

 see I had blundered greatly, but I know I had somewhere 

 your orignal notes ; but my notes are so numerous during 

 nineteen years' collection, that it would take me at least a 

 year to go over and classify them." 



Nov. 1856. '' Sometimes I fear I shall break down, for my 

 subject gets bigger and bigger with each month's work."] 



